Fishing with two poles

[fishgiver]

How do you keep the lines from tangling when a fish is hooked on one line and the other one is stilling in the water?
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]That can depend on the species of fish, how big they are and how they fight. Also, how far out from the tube your second line is.

I fish with two lines a lot...one dragging a bait and the other pitching jigs or some other lures. If a fish takes my bait and is pulling line off the reel with an open bail I will often quickly crank in the second rod and then deal with the one on the bait rod.

If I hook up on the lures I will leave the bait line out and use my fins to try to maintain position so that the hooked fish does not cross the lines. Or, I lift the second rod out of the holder and put it over in the holder on the other side if necessary.

The worst scenario happens when I am soaking a lure vertically...down near the bottom...while casting out with the other rod. If I hook an active fighter on the second rod...like a large trout...I have to be creative in fighting the fish and maneuvering the tube to keep the fish from diving down and wrapping up the vertical line.

In short, there is no magic solution. If you fish with two lines you risk getting tangles.

But, with experience...and having your reel drags properly set...and good sturdy rod holders...you can often land two hookups at a time. You just have to fight one fish while keeping the second rod in the rod holder and using fins to position the tube to keep the second fish tight against that rod. I have had a lot of doubles over the years...even landing two catfish both over 10 pounds on one occasion. Doubles on smaller cats are almost routine. I cover a lot of area and can go for a long ways without a bite. Then suddenly get into a concentration of cats and get hits on both rods. A much better problem to have than getting skunked.
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[pontoonman]

[quote fishgiver]How do you keep the lines from tangling when a fish is hooked on one line and the other one is stilling in the water?[/quote]

That's great and specific advice from TD!

"It depends" is right on, but my generic advice would be to:
-set the pole holders to keep the lines as far apart as possible before the strike occurs or keep one pole in your hands if the action gets fierce.
-set the drag carefully and move so to keep tension on one line while controlling/retrieving the other line.
-retrieve and deal with the line having the smallest fish or no fish first, while moving away from the other. The faster you can do it the better.

I sometimes get 2 fish on separate poles while trolling through feeding schools. and sometimes even 2 fish on different hooks of the same lure.

What to do if you get 2 very large & powerful fish (20+ lbs) at the same time? I concentrate on not getting my tube punctured by fish barbs or lure hooks. That means using a gaff for me, what do you guys do?

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[fishgiver]

Thanks, I can only hope to catch one and worry about the how to after. I have been using a fly rod but am thinking of also putting a line on the bottom when fishing Willard.
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]You can also fish with two fly rods...with the same or different lines. That is especially effective in the spring when the crappies are in. The key is to have rod holders that hold your rods out away from the tube at the right angle...to separate the lines and to provide a solid hookup if a fish bites. Kicking around slowly with the flies cruising at 5-6 feet deep can be deadly. On some days the fish are closer to the bottom in deeper water.

Dragging a minnow or a crawler on the bottom while casting and stripping flies can generate cats, walleyes and wipers. Even some smallies or crappies on the bait too.
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[idahoron]

I get doubles very often on catfish. Most of the time I let one chill out and hope for the best. Most of the time it works out. In this video I have two 4 to 5 foot long sturgeon on at the same time and I land them both. That is what I did with the sturgeon. I released the bail and let him chill. Those hooks don't have barbs so I was super lucky that he was still there.


http://youtu.be/ijktZNISMH8
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[flygoddess]

I only fly fish and I fish two rods all the time. I use two different sink rate lines. I use two flies per rod, I have had many four fish at one time. I have had a tangle up one or two times but very rarely. Just saying it can happen.
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[TyeDyeTwins]

[quote pontoonman]
That means using a gaff for me, what do you guys do?
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Last I checked in Utah you cannot use a gaff.[frown]
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[flygoddess]

I have had two Carp at 30+" on the main fly and the dropper so basically one rod. Net first one, unhook, repeat.
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[pontoonman]

[quote TyeDyeTwins][quote pontoonman]
That means using a gaff for me, what do you guys do?
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Last I checked in Utah you cannot use a gaff.[frown][/quote]

My gaff is a home made gadget version that doesn't puncture or hook the fish. Needed to do that because of following Catch And Release except on very rare occasions. My preference is to C & R a dozen small 2-5# fish in one hour instead of spending one hour safely tiring and releasing one very large fish. Quickly releasing a big fish without exhaustion allows me to catch more fish per hour.

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[idahoron]

So you're are a Quantity over Quality kind of a guy. [bob]
Ron
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[pontoonman]

Ron, I admire your skill and accomplishments with large fish and like your clever fishing rig setup! You probably hold some world records in your catches!

I usually go out with light tackle and 6# line and have sometimes hooked large fish, up to 20#. I don't cut the line because the cost of the expensive lures that would accumulate. Great variety as well as quantity is involved, as it always perks my curiosity as to what will be at the other end. Quality of experience and time spent is just greater for me in this way, and I do routinely catch larger fish as part of that variety.

Other than offshore/ saltwater, my largest fish have been around 30# on 10# line from a 10# tube. Not much to show compared to your monsters...

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[quote idahoron]So you're are a Quantity over Quality kind of a guy.
Ron[/quote]
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[pontoonman]

[quote flygoddess]I have had two Carp at 30+" on the main fly and the dropper so basically one rod. Net first one, unhook, repeat.[/quote]
Hi, FG.
Yes, I see that would work for most people. I don't like having a large, still lively fish close enough to my tube to use a hand net while the lure hooks are flailing. Extension nets are bulky/weak/hard to handle at a distance due to leverage involved and lively bigger fish run away. The rubber mesh type nets are faster to untangle in my experience...
JMHO, not true for everyone!

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[flygoddess]

Rubber nets are the best, but I also use a fine mesh that I don't get hooks caught in. I use small single hook flies, so I don;t care how close they get. However, on the water I do always use a net. Rubber mesh, long handle. Awkward? Not at all, but my net is crazy light.
http://www.fishwest.net/flyfishing/produ...OFB5y6bXoU
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[pontoonman]

[quote flygoddess]Rubber nets are the best, but I also use a fine mesh that I don't get hooks caught in. I use small single hook flies, so I don;t care how close they get. However, on the water I do always use a net. Rubber mesh, long handle. Awkward? Not at all, but my net is crazy light.
[url "http://www.fishwest.net/flyfishing/product/FPF52MDLG.html?gclid=Cj0KEQiApIGnBRCFx-idn7-E2Y8BEiQAc6fQbEP67QAzYR4IeK28MloU1QDFWbOPIBx7y-74LLVZ3P0aAhO88P8HAQ#.VOFB5y6bXoU[/quote]"]http://www.fishwest.net/...VOFB5y6bXoU[/quote][/url]

Thanks for the link, that's an awesome net made of the newest materials and it FLOATS!

If you do pack in trips do you take this net with you?

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[flygoddess]

It's my pontoon and shore fishing net. For hiking in the mountains I take a bamboo Willy J net that also is very light.
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